Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-01-27

The Japanese understand equally as
well as the French the part of amusing
themselves. A poor coolie will scrape
money enough together during year to
take himself and family to the theater.
On that occasion he will indulge
in every luxury attainable
and pass the whole day and
part Of the night in the theater eating,
drinking, smoking, sometimes taking
little nap during an intermission, and
enjoying the performance intensely.
said the whole day and part of the
night, for in Japan most OF the theaters
commence about eleven or twelve
o'clock in the morning and last until
after midnight. The tea houses pro-
vide the spectators with every kind of
refreshment. A Japanese audience does
not use chairs, but kneels or sits on
thick straw mats, called 'tatami." The
lower floor is divided into little square
boxes about six feet long, of the same
width, two feet deep, and capable of
holding from four to six persons. On
the second floor along the walls and
facing the stage are boxes of slightly
larger size. The place for the gods, who
have to stand up, forms the back part
of the second floor and is separated
from the rest of the audience by perpen-
dicular wooden bars about three inches
thick and about six inches apart. In
L. 80 H., tl h<>x,
which is generally well occupied, re-
served for the police officers. These
dress in American fashion, wearing
blue uniforms with yellow stripes and
brass buttons. Their Services are very
seldom required, as aJapanese audience
is, as rule, very orderly.
The spectators leave their clogs OF
straw slippers at the door on entering
a theater and receive in return little
numbered wooden checks, duplicates oi
which are attached to the clogs or slip
pers. On leaving, these are. of course
returned to the owners in exchange fol
the checks and small fee. The few
who wear shoes take them off and en-
ter in their stockings. The floors are il
this way kept very clean but slippery.
The stage was very low; with my cane
could almost touch the '.Aies;' but j
was very spacious and could have ac
commodated about 600 people, as it did
with the addition also of dozen horses
before our arrival, in the production o
a piece called the 'Satsuma War" Tn,
japanese curtains slid on wires instea'
of being rolled up and down. Thes
curtains are usually presented to tn
theater by its patrons or by the actors
and generally bear the crest or coat o
arms of the donor. The change O
scenes is effected in different way thai
ours. The stage is revolving and !
divided into two or three parts as th
play requires. At the change the actor
in the finished scene form picture, a
it is caIled-the stage revolving on
pivot in the center, easily worked fror
below by two men, the outer line
the circle running on rails-the las
scene turns out of view and the mex
scene appears, with the actors groupe
therein and forming another tableau
This enables the stage carpenters to sc
the next scenes, and as they wear n
shoes are able to accomplish their pun
pose without the slightest noise. which
more than can be said of most of ou
American carpenters. Not a nail
used and not a word spoken by the stag
hands, who have their rehearsals PR
vious to the first performance, and
know all they are about as we'll as d
the actors. The set houses general
form the backing OF a scepe They al
easily put together. IS the diferet
pieces fit exactly into each other. Re;
shrubbery and evergreen trees, liked
wooden blocks and boards, are used
great deal to mask in the sides of tt
stage. as no wings are used. For tn
same purpose wooden fences are sl'
used.
The actors do not always make the
entrances and exits from the sides
the back, but sometimes come throug
the audience. Two elevated gsngwsy